The Warriors are going to need some major minutes out of their junkyard dog Juan Toscano-Anderson over the next few games. Draymond Green became the fifth Golden State player to land in the NBA’s health and safety protocols Sunday, as COVID-19 continues to decimate rosters around the league.
Back on Dec. 3, JTA and Gary Payton II sparked the Warriors off the bench while Draymond led the defense, in their first win this season over the Phoenix Suns. After the game, Toscano-Anderson made sure to give a shoutout to Green.
“It’s a tutorial for me,” Toscano-Anderson said. “I’m watching and I’m engaged in the game, I’m learning from that guy on the fly, on a day-to-day basis. Just to come into this league and have him as a vet and have him like a big brother is real cool.”
No one can replace Green, whose effort has been remarkable this year while putting himself at the forefront of the Defensive Player of the Year conversation. But JTA is going to have to try. He’s only listed at 6-foot-6 and has a much more wiry 209-pound frame than Green, but is probably the team’s second-best interior defender now behind Kevon Looney.
The Warriors’ frontcourt depth will be severely tested without Green, as Looney remains the lone true big man. The Warriors will spend the next two games competing against big man Nikola Jokic, the reigning MVP.
Otto Porter Jr. has been solid defensively this year, but Nemanja Bjelica isn’t much of a bruiser down low. Rookie Jonathan Kuminga could also get some increased minutes against opposing centers, but Toscano-Anderson is battle-tested and should be ready to do his best Draymond impression over the next few games.
The NBA’s health and safety protocols require players to sit out for 10 days or record two negative COVID-19 tests in a 24 hours period before they can resume basketball activities. Monday marks the 10th day since Jordan Poole was placed in protocols on Dec. 17, meaning he could be close to returning to the roster. Wednesday marks the 10th day for Andrew Wiggins, while it’s Saturday for Damon Lee, Jan. 3 for Moses Moody and Jan. 5 for Green.
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Green’s 30.6 minutes, 8.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.5 assists per game will be missed, but it’s the absence of his leadership and defensive quarterbacking that will be felt the most. Golden State of Mind’s Joe Viray shared a great video breakdown of Green’s impact on defense in the Christmas Day win over the Suns, as he helped stifle a Devin Booker mismatch on Bjelica before it could even happen.
“He is what Steph is offensively,” Toscano-Anderson said on Dec. 3. “It’s just not sexy. The average viewer doesn’t understand angles, being up to touch on the ball screen, sliding over, being the ‘Most Important Guy’ we call it the ‘M.I.G.’ defensively, trapping the ball – they don’t see that because it doesn’t show up in the statistics. We watch film all the time and I’m, like, damn that’s impressive.’”
Without Draymond, JTA will have to moonlight as MIG.
The Warriors are scheduled to host the Nuggets Tuesday night before traveling to Denver for a rematch Thursday night. Golden State is scheduled to face Rudy Gobert and the Utah Jazz on the road Saturday before returning to Chase Center for next Monday's matchup against the Miami Heat, where there’s an outside chance Klay Thompson could make his much-anticipated return.
